There are more uses for Viagra than meet the eye. You can get more than the Mother of All Hangovers after a night of binge drinking. Few parents give much thought to the fact that children face a hazard when urged to brush their teeth. And roller coaster rides this summer could provide more than thrills. All are topics worthy of concern.

If you’re depressed these days due to all the bad economic news, perhaps a glass cabernet sauvignon could help to ease the tension. But a report in the British Medical Journal makes alarming reading for those who have a habit of binge drinking.

Dr. Mohantha Dooldeniya is a urologist at Pinderfields Hospital in Wakefield, England. He reports that three women arrived at the hospital after a bender. They all complained of lower abdominal pain. Doctors initially diagnosed cystitis, a bladder infection. Later, when they used abdominal scans and laparoscopy to peek into the abdomen, they were shocked to find that the urinary bladder had ruptured.

How could this happen? Alcohol is a diuretic that makes you urinate more often. But it’s also an anesthetic and dulls the urge to go. This is a bad combination. Often the intoxicated person falls asleep and urinates in bed. But in some cases bladder pressure is so strong and the senses so dulled that the bladder ruptures. And if the person falls with a distended bladder, rupture is even more likely.

We all know what Viagra does, but who would have guessed that it could help to slow down the destruction of our planet? Dr. John Grantmyre writes in the Canadian Fertility and Andrology Society report that Viagra is decreasing the slaughter of some endangered animals. Parts of these animals have been used for years as aphrodisiacs.

For instance, in 1996 Canada exported 30,398 seal penises to South East Asia. Ten years ago they were selling for $100 each. But after Viagra became available two years later, the cost had dropped to a tenth of that price. There’s also been a 72 percent drop in reindeer antler velvet (a Chinese aphrodisiac).

Remember that eggs and microwaves don’t mix. Eggs cooked in a microwave oven reach a higher temperature than if they were boiled. One 9-year-old girl reheated a previously boiled egg, then placed it in a bowl. Thirty minutes later, it exploded, striking her right eye and face. The explosion perforated the cornea of the eye and ruptured the anterior lens capsule. Following the injury she could only see hand movements. Her vision was restored after several operations and the insertion of a plastic lens.

Are you planning this summer to take children on a roller coaster ride? Dr. Jurgen Kuschyk, a cardiologist at University Hospital in Mannheim, Germany, reports that anyone over 14 years of age should get a physical checkup before doing so. This should include an electrocardiogram, and even better, an echocardiogram.

Electrocardiograms monitored the heart rhythm before, during, and after a ride. Doctors were surprised to find that 44 percent of participants had irregular rhythms lasting up to five minutes. Most rides generate 4 Gs (gravitational force), super rides 4 to 5 Gs. Fighter pilots can pass out when subjected to 6 to 9 Gs.

“Go brush your teeth before bed” is a familiar cry from parents. But Dr. Steven McFaull, a research analyst at the Public Health Agency of Canada, says the lowly toothbrush can cause a life-threatening injury.

Few injuries occurred while children brushed their teeth. The problem was fooling around with the toothbrush in their mouths and bumping into something. In a few cases the entire toothbrush was swallowed. If a toothbrush contains batteries, this is a medical emergency.

Are you worried about drinking too much alcohol? This summer, change the shape of your glass. A report in the British Medical Journal says that people pour 20 to 30 percent more liquid into short wide glasses than tall narrow ones.

See the Web site www.mydoctor.ca/gifford-jones.

Dr. W. Gifford-Jones is actually Dr. Ken Walker, a practicing physician in Toronto who writes many columns at his Bristol Harbour, N.Y. residence.